Fred H. Madden, Jr. (b. March 30, 1954) is a Democratic member of the New Jersey Senate, representing District 4. He was first elected to the chamber in 2003. Bills that have been sponsored by Senator Madden include Senate Bill 2 and Senate Bill 57.[1]

Biography

Madden earned his A.S. in Law Enforcement from Camden County Community College, his B.A. in Law and Justice from Glassboro State College and his M.S. in Criminal Justice Administration from St. Joseph's University.[2] His professional experience includes serving as the acting superintendent of the New Jersey State Police as well as the chief of investigations for the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office from 2002 to 2003 and as the Dean of the Gloucester County Police Academy.[3]

Committee assignments

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Madden served on the following committees:

2010-2011

Issues

Campaign themes

2011

In an interview with the Gloucester County Times, Madden listed his top priorities:

"We must continue to get our state’s fiscal house in order, cutting wasteful spending and reducing taxes on the middle class and businesses where we can. This will allow us to ensure that essential programs can continue, while not overburdening taxpayers further. We must also continue our efforts to create jobs and attract and retain businesses to our state. With our unemployment rate still mirroring the national average, now is the time for us to take aggressive action on targeting tax cuts for small businesses in the high-tech and health care sectors, and promoting investment in start-up companies. Finally, we must focus on improving health care for all residents. Over my tenure in the Senate I have been proud to support the work of organizations raising awareness of epilepsy and multiple sclerosis, and worked on legislation to provide cardiac screenings for our student athletes."[4]

Pensions

Double dipping is a term used to describe the practice of allowing government employees to "retire," start collecting a pension and then return to work for the state while continuing to receive pension benefits. It is currently permitted in New Jersey. Banning or limiting double dipping is among the proposals in New Jersey to reduce the state pension obligation. Two companion bills, S601 and A860, were introduced in the 2012-2013 legislative session. As of March 2015 neither has reached the floor for a vote. In July 2013 New Jersey Watchdog published an article focusing on double dipping by New Jersey state legislators. The report identified 18 state lawmakers who receive retirement checks totaling $782,000 a year in addition to their legislative salaries. The roster includes leaders of each party in both the Senate and Assembly.[5]
Madden was included on the list of legislators currently receiving pension benefits and a legislative salary. According to the 2013 report, Madden receives a $85,272 pension per year. The employer at retirement was State Police.[5]

2011

Madden won re-election to the District 4 State Senate seat in the 2011 election. He was unopposed for the June 7 Democratic primary. He defeated Giancarlo D'Orazio (R) in the general election which took place on November 8, 2011.[10]

New Jersey State Senate District 4 General Election, 2011

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Democratic

Fred MaddenIncumbent

62.1%

23,868

Republican

Giancarlo D'Orazio

37.9%

14,569

Total Votes

38,437

2007

In 2007, Madden was re-elected to the New Jersey State Senate District 4. Madden (D) finished with 21,395 votes while his opponent Shelley Lovett (R) finished with 14,364 votes.[11] Madden raised $232,008 for his campaign fund.[12]

New Jersey State Senate District 4

Candidates

Votes

Fred Madden (D)

21,395

Shelley Lovett (R)

14,364

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Madden is available dating back to 2003. Based on available campaign finance records, Madden raised a total of $1,332,781 during that time period. This information was last updated on August 12, 2013.[13]

Scorecards

Legislative scorecards are used to evaluate elected public officials based on voting record. Some scorecards are created by political advocacy groups with a focus on specific issues, while others are developed by newspapers and are broad in scope. Scorecards are meant to be used as a tool for voters to have a quick picture of whether their views align with a particular legislator's record.

Because scorecards can be specific to particular issues or general to a state’s legislative term, for example, each report should be considered on its own merits. Each entity that publishes these reports uses different methodologies and definitions for the terms used.